One of TV's most popular characters from the last 13 years is coming back to TV this summer, as Raylan Givens dons his hat and goes after bad guys yet again in Justified: City Primeval. And of course, no one else but Timothy Olyphant could portray the US Marshal.
After Justified aired on FX for six seasons, Justified: City Primeval is set to be a limited series spinoff of the acclaimed crime drama. Dave Andron and Michael Dinner are the driving creative forces behind the adaptation, based on another Elmore Leonard novel, while original series creator Graham Yost and Olyphant are executive producers on the new show.
Set to be one of the more anticipated summer TV shows this year, here is everything that you need to know about Justified: City Primeval.
Justified: City Primeval release date
The return of Justified is set for Tuesday, July 18. Justified City: Primeval premieres with the first two episodes of the limited series, with the subsequent episodes debuting one at a time in the following weeks. The limited series arrives just over eight years after the series finale of Justified.
Justified: City Primeval is just one of the big-name shows that FX is premiering over the summer 2023. The network is also set to release the final season of Mayans M.C., It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 16, The Full Monty TV series, The Bear season 2 (exclusively on Hulu), What We Do in the Shadows season 5, Reservation Dogs season 3 (exclusively on Hulu) and Archer season 14, the final season for the animated spy comedy.
Justified: City Primeval plot
Based on Leonard's book, City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit, Justified: City Primeval picks up with Raylan Givens 15 years after we last saw him, a little older but still carrying out his duties as a US Marshal. Here is the official synopsis for the limited series from FX:
"Having left the hollers of Kentucky 15 years ago, Raylan Givens now lives in Miami, a walking anachronism balancing his life as a U.S. Marshal and part-time father of a 15-year-old girl. His hair is grayer, his hat is dirtier and the road in front of him is suddenly a lot shorter than the road behind.
"A chance encounter on a desolate Florida highway sends him to Detroit. There he crosses paths with Clement Mansell, aka The Oklahoma Wildman, a violent, sociopathic desperado who's already slipped through the fingers of Detroit's finest once and aims to do so again. Mansell's lawyer, formidable Motor City native Carolyn Wilder, has every intention of representing her client, even as she finds herself caught in between cop and criminal, with her own game afoot as well. These three characters set out on a collision course in classic Elmore Leonard fashion, to see who makes it out of the City Primeval alive."
Justified: City Primeval cast
First and foremost, Timothy Olyphant is back as Raylan Givens for the limited series. Olyphant earned an Emmy nomination for his portrayal of Givens during the show's original run, and it definitely remains one of his most iconic roles. But viewers have also seen Olyphant in movies and TV shows like The Girl Next Door, Deadwood, The Crazies, This Is Where I Leave You, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Fargo, The Book of Boba Fett and, most recently, Daisy Jones & the Six.
The other two main cast members for Justified: City Primeval are Boyd Holbrook and Aunjanue Ellis. Holbrook, who is best known for Narcos, Logan and The Sandman is set to play the main antagonist, the Oklahoma Wildman. Ellis is an Oscar-nominated actress for King Richard who has also starred in Lovecraft Country and 61st Street and is playing Carolyn Wilder, the attorney representing the Wildman.
Additional cast members include Adelaide Clemens (The Great Gatsby) as Sandy, Vondie Curtis Hall (Harriet) as Sweetie, Marin Ireland (Y: The Last Man) as Maureen, Norbet Leo Butz (Bloodline) as Norbet, Victor Williams (The Good Lord Bird) as Wendell and Vivian Olyphant (Timothy Olyphant's real-life daughter) as Givens' daughter Willa.
Justified: City Primeval trailer
A teaser trailer for Justified: City Primeval reintroduces us to Raylan Givens in his new surroundings of Detroit. Watch below:
How to watch Justified: City Primeval
Airing on FX, viewers will need either a pay-TV cable setup that carries FX as part of its channel package or a live TV streaming service that does. Examples of the latter include FuboTV, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV and YouTube TV.
If you want to catch up with the original show before the follow-up limited series, you can stream it on Hulu. That is also where you’ll be able to watch the latest Justified episodes on-demand after they air on FX.
UK fans can watch all six seasons of Justified on Disney Plus, which is where City Primeval is likely to end up when it debuts for UK audiences.
